Study: SUV bumpers are too high compared with small cars

Car accidents involving small cars and SUVs create great damages because the bigger cars actually climb over the small ones. “Things must change,” the Americans say.

A study made by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in America (IIHS) shows that SUV bumpers are placed too high in comparison with those of small cars. Consequently, a lot of accidents between the two types of cars presuppose large financial implications for insurers and, at high speeds, tragic end to people in small cars.

“SUVs and cars share the road,” says Joe Nolan, the chief administrative officer of the insurance institute. “The problem is they don’t share the same bumper rules, and consumers end up paying the price.”

To analyze precisely these differences, Americans have artificially caused multiple accidents between SUVs and cars belonging to a same brand portfolio, with the proviso that SUVs are the smallest of the range offered by the respective manufacturers. Thus, a Honda CR-V that struck a Honda Civic caused the latter damages worth 2995 dollars, while a Toyota Corolla that struck the back of a RAV4 needed repairs of $ 9876.

“Automakers should at the least pay attention to bumper compatibility across their own fleets,” concluded John Nolan. “The results show that many don’t”